Budapest
by booklover-1104
Summary: Clint Barton is one of the best spies there are, and the best SHIELD has ever had. Natasha Romanoff is a mysterious Russian assassin, probably the only one alive worthy of taking Clint one-on-one. But when they are sent after the same target, what's the worst that could happen? They fall in love? Highly unlikely. But I've seen weirder.
1. Chapter 1

*** I do not own the Avengers, Marvel, or any of the characters.**

**I do not actually have the clearance to know what happened in Budapest.***

Present Day

Natasha Romanoff POV

I silently padded into the room. The killer paced back and forth in his glass prison, much like a caged animal. His icy blue eyes suddenly shifted in my direction.  
"There's not many that can sneak up on me," Loki's Asgardian voice said to me. He smiled.  
"But you figured I'd come," I countered.  
"After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you'd appear as a friend. And I would cooperate." That was exactly my intention. To act as his friend, and get him to tell me what he knows.

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton." Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, was my partner in Shield, and my friend. Except he wasn't just a 'friend'. It's... complicated.  
"I would say I've expanded his mind." I cocked my head, worried at what that might mean. I stepped forward, only a few feet from the Hulk-proof glass.  
"Once you've won, once you're King of the mountain..." I crossed my arms. "...What happens to his mind?"  
"Is this love, Agent Natasha Romanoff?" He questioned, smiling like a schoolboy.  
"Love is for children. I owe him a debt." He stepped backwards, confused and intrigued by my denial. Deep down, I was mad that he called my bluff.  
"Tell me." His expression was inviting, one I might be tempted to trust. Any other situation, I would be kicking his butt instead of talking to him, but he had info and SHIELD needed it.

I needed it.

"Before I worked for SHIELD, I uh..." I sat in the empty technicians chair next to me. "...Well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill-set. I didn't care who I used it for. Or on. I got on Shield's radar in a bad way." Loki sat down, completely immersed in my story. My voice got low.

"Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call."  
And then the flashbacks started.

**What do you think? Reviews are good, whether they're compliments or telling me how I can make it better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I meant to have this published yesterday, but I couldn't figure out how to publish the darn thing. **

**I don't own the Avengers or any of the characters in it. Marvel does. (I wish I owned it though. THAT would be cool.)**

2007, 5 Years Ago

Clint Barton POV

I sunk into my bed, at my Shield bunker. I had never felt a better feeling than going to bed after a tiring mission. I had been undercover for two weeks, and the info I brought in was enough to take down a large weapons trade. But I only got back an hour ago, and I was tired. So I sunk even deeper into my pillow and closed my eyes. It seemed like seconds before I woke up, but when I looked at the clock, it said an hour had passed.

I started to get out of bed, but my feet couldn't hit the floor faster than my phone could buzz. It was a text from my boss, Nick

Fury, the director of Shield.

"U need 2 come in. Conference room, 30 mins" read my phone screen. Ugh.

I strode into the large conference room, and sat at the big round glass table. Also at the table were Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, and someone new. I had never seen this woman before.

"Who's this?" I asked, gesturing towards her.

"She's why you needed to come in. This is Maria Hill. She's a new agent, and you're the one I want to train her."

"What?...You can't be serious. I'm a field agent, _not a trainer._"

"Actually, some people _can_ be serious. Barton, I won't argue about this. I know the data, you two would work well together." Nick had one eye in an eye-patch, but his other was giving me the "Evil Eye." I knew there was no getting out of this.

"Fine." I stormed out of the room and headed to the archery room. I was glad there wasn't anyone else in there. I grabbed my

favorite bow and sheath of arrows. I took aim at the target and released my arrow. "Bullseye." Not that I was surprised, or anything.

I continued shooting for a few minutes before I was interrupted. It was Maria. The newbie. The newbie I was supposedly going to train.

"Hi." I didn't say anything. She sat next to where I was standing.

"Barton... I know you're mad at me."

"Listen, it's not personal." She sighed. I shot another arrow, then sat down on the ground beside her.

"Just... just give me a chance. Can you try to do that?" she pleaded. She even pouted a little bit.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Thank you. I hope this works out," she said as she got up and headed towards the door.

"Maria?"

"Yeah?" Her head whipped around too fast, like she was just waiting for me to say something.

"Do... do you, um... well, I wanna at least get to know you a little before we'll be training 24/7 together. So, um... wanna go to lunch tomorrow?"

"I'd like that." She smiled as she walked out the door.

**Thanks so much for all the great reviews! Keep 'em coming! This is my first Fan Fiction, so they really mean a lot.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys soooooo much! Reviews, Favorites, Follows... they all make me so happy! :D**

**Now it goes without saying that I don't own the Avengers or Marvel, but... I said it anyway.**

Natasha Romanoff POV

I checked out of my hotel room. I was still in New York City, but I don't stay in one place two nights, for security reasons. As I confidently walked down the street, two suitcases in tow, I received a phone call.

"Hello, Ms. Romanoff," an electronically disguised voice said to me. It didn't bother me, as everyone in this business needs to keep a low profile.

"I trust you have a job for me?"

"Why else do you get calls on your business phone?" I gave a small chuckle.

"Okay, the suspense is killing me. Who is it?" I said sarcastically.

"Remember the job you had last week, Vladimir Drakov?" Vladimir was a Russian ambassador who had gotten involved with HYDRA, an organization bent on world domination or something weird like that. Not that it was any of my business.

"There was a witness," the voice said. I stopped dead in my tracks in disbelief.

"Impossible. I never have witnesses."

"Well, this time, you did. And it gets worse... the witness was his daughter, Dominica Drakov."

"I don't know..." Dominica was the only family he had left, and I didn't quite like the idea of killing off a whole family. But money was money. And I was doing what I had been trained to do, by Red Room; a brutal KGB training ground for assassins, undercover agents, and spies.

"How much will it cost you?"

"$600,000." I thought it over. Over half a million dollars is a big job. I sighed.

"I'll do it," I said as I hung up. I dejectedly walked to a different hotel, suitcases in hand. No matter how good I was at my job, and no matter how good it pays, I will never love my job.

I checked into a different hotel, and left my suitcases in my room. The clock said 1:10 p.m., so I decided to go to lunch at a little place called Shwarma on the street corner.

**What's going to happen next, with Natasha going to Shwarma at the same time as Clint and Maria? Comment with your guesses!**

**P.S. Like the Shwarma reference? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, everybody! Here it is, Chapter Four, aka: lunch with Clint, Maria, and someone else who wasn't invited. :D**

**I don't own the Avengers so pleeeeeeaaase don't sue me for writing about them.**

Clint Barton POV

It's 1:10, and I'm just now arriving at Shawarma. I wassupposed to meet Maria at one, which means I'm late. As I walked up to the building, I caught a glimpse of Maria in the window. Her dark brown hair was down this time, the other times I had seen her she had it pinned into a neat bun. She was still wearing her SHIELD jumpsuit from this morning. She looked like she thought I stood her up or something. Good grief, it was only ten minutes. I opened the door, triggering a bell hanging from the ceiling. Once she saw me she lit up like a kid on Christmas, but then she looked like she remembered to keep her cool or something. I had a feeling it would take a while to figure her out.

"Hey. Hope you don't mind, I ordered drinks for us," she said as she took a sip of coke.  
"Thanks. By the way, why are you still in your jumpsuit?" I asked, and she immediately got nervous.  
"Is there something wrong? Do you not like it?" My voice went into whisper-mode.  
"The general public doesn't know SHIELD exists. You go in a crowded restaurant with a dark grey, tight leather jumpsuit, people are gonna wonder what your deal is."

I scanned the restaurant and noticed a young woman who had most definitely noticed Maria, who had started talking again, but I wasn't paying attention to her. The woman had flaming red hair that slightly covered her mysterious green eyes. But it wasn't her appearance that had caught my eye. It was the way her eyes took in every detail in the room. It was the way her small purse bulged in the way that says there's a gun in there. She tensed up when she noticed me analyzing her, and I also noticed how well-defined her muscles were.

Suddenly, she got out of her chair and headed out the door. I got up too, and she started running. Maria called my name, but it was too late. I was in full pursuit mode.

**EEEEEK! My first fight scene is coming up! As always, reviews make me happy, happy, happy!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so sorry I haven't published. I know it's been like a month or something. But I'll make it up to you. I was going to publish this in two chapters, but I'm gonna give you on extra long one.**

**As always, I don't own the Avengers.**

Natasha Romanoff POV

I slowly got out of my chair, and started walking toward the door. The man got up too, and started following me.  
"Clint, what are you doing?!" the girl in the SHIELD jumpsuit yelled after the man. By this time, I had reached the door, and began to run. My heart was pounding, my feet moving with the precision that could only come with years of training. I looked in the glass window of a store that I passed, and saw the man's reflection running as fast as I was. That surprised me so much I ran into a woman in a business suit. He almost caught me, but I made a sharp turn into an alley. Bad move. Two brick walls were on either side of me, and a chain-link fence blocked my path.

"Looks like you're trapped," he taunted.  
"Not really. I mean, it's not like I couldn't take you down."  
"Is that a challenge? Because I like challenges," he said, his face in a smirk. He stepped towards me. "They're so rare."  
Well he's going to get one today.

He came towards me again, just a few feet from me, and I did a front kick to the solarplexes. He huffed and stepped backwards, then charged and put his upper body real low. His shoulder rammed right into my stomach, and I felt the air leave my chest as a searing pain replaced it. We were lying on the hard ground, and he was on top of me. He punched my face, and I tasted blood. I pulled my legs up on either side of him and wrapped my ankles around his throat. I pulled him up to a standing position, and with a quick twisting motion, he slammed into the side of a big blue dumpster.

I quickly stood up and started to walk towards him, but he lifted his hoodie and pulled a semi-automatic pistol out of his belt. I spat out a tooth he had knocked out. My heart raced as I considered my options. I was too far away to kick the gun out of his hands, and if I tried to, he would have enough time to shoot. My only way out is to convince him not to. He smiled, obviously amused by my apprehension.

"You wouldn't shoot me with all these people so close to us, would you?"  
"You don't seem like the type that would care... why should I?"  
My mind raced... what was that name the SHIELD girl called him? _'Clint, what are you doing?!'_ Ha, I remember.  
"Because, Clint... I don't think SHIELD would like their agents killing someone so conspicuously." His eyes widened with what appeared to be genuine fear. Well, _that_ sure wiped the smirk off his face.

* * *

Clint Barton POV

"You wouldn't shoot me with all these people so close to us, would you?" She asked nervously.  
"You don't seem like the type that would care... why should I?"  
She paused, considering what she would say next.  
"Because, Clint... I don't think SHIELD would like their agents killing someone so conspicuously."

I was instantly aware of my heart racing, adrenaline coursing through my veins.  
I stood there, my gun still pointed at the redheaded girl.  
"How did you know my name?" A seriousness had entered my voice, which was barely above a whisper. She didn't answer my question, and so I yelled.  
_"How did you know my name?!"_ I cocked the pistol. She still didn't answer, but this time I think it was because she was frightened, not arrogant.

"Listen, Red. I don't know who you are, or who you work for. But I do know one thing about you. If you get involved with me, you will be _way_ in over your head. So you're going to tell me _right now_ how you know my name." She stepped closer to me.  
"The girl you were with, in Shawarma, she wore a SHIELD jumpsuit, so I assumed you worked with her. And as you were chasing me, she yelled 'Clint, what are you doing'."  
I was going to kill Maria if Red didn't kill me first.

Just then, she roundhouse kicked my hand, and my gun landed with a clack ten feet away. I grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her downward as I brought my knee up to my chest, then I elbowed her in the chest. She fell backwards, but then she sweeped her legs in a circle, which knocked me onto the ground. My head hit the concrete with a thud. My mind went fuzzy, but I was coherent enough to see Red pointing my gun at my head. I was able to pull myself up to a sitting position.

"Who... who are you?" I asked, my voice surprised.  
"Why do you ask like that?" She said, confused.  
"Because I've never lost a fight in the field."  
"I'm flattered."  
"Who _are_ you?" I repeated impatiently.  
"I guess you'll never find out, will you?" She punched me, and everything went black.

**Reviews! How I love them so...**


	6. Chapter 6

Natasha Romanoff POV

The next day

"Flight Manhattan to Tampa, please make your way to Boarding Station B," a muffled voice played over the loudspeaker. The airport was teeming with people running to and fro, and the sounds of conversations were a constant buzz. I rose from my chair and grabbed the handles to my suitcases. I was about to head over to the boarding station, when an icy hand grabbed my arm.

"Excuse me, Ms. Romano, but we have arranged a more... private flight," barked a muscular man in dark sunglasses.  
"Thanks. And it's Romanoff. Natasha Romanoff." Great. Now I sounded like James Bond. He muttered an apology as he lead me to a private hangar.

Inside the hangar there were lots of men in black uniforms doing various things, but it wasn't near as loud as the public areas. I also noted they all had a weapon of some sort. In the middle of the hangar there was a small, yet fancy plane. A middle-aged balding man beckoned me to come inside. The guard took my suitcases, and another one appeared to take his place.

I walked over to the plane. The client sure looked happy to see me.  
"Come in, Black Widow! I've heard so many wonderful things about your work," he praised with enthusiasm.  
"Thanks."  
"How have you been?" he asked as if we had known each other forever.  
"Good. Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about. It's about the payment." He frowned as I said this.  
"I gave you over half a million dollars, and this mission kind of saves your butt as much as mine."  
"I don't want more money. Actually, I need your help, so I was thinking you could forget the money, and say 'I owe you one'."  
"Hmm. We'll talk about it. But right now, you need mission details," he said as he handed me a thick yellow file. In it was my next target.

Name: Dominika Drakov  
Age: 23  
Female  
Current Location: São Paulo, Brazil  
Reason for Mission: Witness to assassination of Vladimir Drakov, German dignitary and her father.  
Your Mission: Eliminate the witness.

"It's up to you if this plane takes off. Will you take the job?"  
"Of course. If she talks, it'll be hard to go to the grocery store without seeing a wanted poster with my face on it." He smiled villainously.  
"Good. What was that favor you needed?"

"I need you to find someone for me. Someone from SHIELD. His name's Clint."


End file.
